Washing machine



Aug. 28, 1923. 1,466,204

S. B. CALDW ELL WASHING MACHINE Filed April 7, 1921 WITNESS INVENTORAMuiLdCALDM/ELL a ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 28, 1923.

T-m am intern r ica.

earner j s p sAr/rUnL B. CALDWELL, or oaiinAnn, CALIFORNIA,

I WASHING Machine.

Application filed April 7, 1921. I Serial Biol 59,326.

T0 all'wleom itmrzy concern." r

'Be it known that L'Smrrnn. B. C LDWELL a citizen of the United States,and a resident ofthe city of Oakla-nd. county'of Alameda, and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Washing -Maehine, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing machines and more particularly todomestic It is one ofthe objects of the presentinvention to provide awashing machine incorporating movable elements which are designed toreciprocate for the effective washing by compression'andsurging actionof laundry pieces in a tub or tank. It is, in this connection, afurther'object of the present invention to provide a 'mech'anical washerin which the principal moving elements are of light and simpleconstruetion' and there'- fore. operable with a small consumptionofpower.

Another objecto-f the present invention is to provide a washing machineor apparatus incorporating'a cover or top for the tank or tub of theapparatus, and 'mounting'jupon the tub top the mechanically operablewashing; means. By arranging the washing elements and drivingmechanismthereof upon' a removable top, it is possible to uncover thev tank orwash tubby simply tipping the top upwardly and therefore permittingready insertion and removal of the pieces of laundry into'and from thetub;

Another ob ect of the invention is to pro ride an organized washing'machine unit adaptedftobe mounted bodily upon a cover.

or" an ordinary domestic, installed wash tub and which mechanism may besold in conjunction with wash tubs tobe installed practically withoutany change 1n" the construc tion and design of the laundry or wash tub.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an organized washingmachlne that can be applied to wash tubs of various sizes,

shapes and kinds of construction'and mate-' rial and which washingmachine canbe bodily applied to and bodily removed from a given washtub.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing. will be made manifest in the followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. Itis to be understood to an ordinary domestic "c laundry tub. 1 1

that it is notintended to limit the invention I ement or other Fig.2 isa front elevation of the applied laundry'mecha'nism mounted upon awashtub which isshown in vertical section."

The present invention concerns that type Of washingmachines'derivingTpower-from small electric motors operatlve-thru asuit-;

able train of gears to drive elementsfar ranged in a tub or tank andwhich reciprobate upon a batch "of clothes or piecesin'the tank to bewashed and which reciprocating elements act'to compress and then releasethe material being washed. To facilitate the Washing'effect on thematerial or" pieces, a feature of the present invention is" a. yieldingfalse bed or bottom preferably perforated and of corrugated form uponwhich the material, within. the tank rests 'ina position well abovethe'bottomof'the tank, thus al the collection of sediment at'the bot- 1.lr'iwing tom as it iswashedf'rom the laundry.

A further important'feature of the invention is the arrangement-of thedrivin'g'mecli an'ism of thewashingfelements upon a lid or cover-of thetub or tank, as the case may be, thus" providing an organized unitmovable, as a body from and. toioperative posi: tion v V In'Figs. l and2 inclusive the invention is shown as incorpo-rt'edfin a washing machineincluding a box, or tank 35 having a. bottom 4 above which is spaced 9.falsebottom 5. The false bottom servesriot only for the pur poseoisupporting the material therein being washed, but also, facilitates inthe washing action upon the material. This action comparativelyroughenedtop surface as indicated by the corrugatlons 7. It 1sunderstood that any fora-minons construct-ion of bottom may be employed.Preferably the bottom -5 is yieldingly mounted as being supported uponsprings 8. V i

The tank is provided with a cover 10 preferably hinged. The cover isprovided with :1. crank shaft 13 journaled in bearings and havingconnecting rods 15 which sweep in "is enhanced by providinga falsebottom of apertures provided therefor in the cover 10. Pivotallyconnected "to the lower endsof the connecting rods 15 are plunger do;

vices'whieh preferably, are maintained in horlzontal posltion, Whilethey are reciprocated by suitable guides; as for instance,

rods 16 extending upwardly from the plung ers and sliding in guide tubes17., These tubes are firmly mounted in the cover 10 and projectdownwardly therefrom.

To secure effective action of the plungers referred to,'these preferablyinclude a frame 18 ithin which is arranged a rigid'grid of suitableconstruction. The plfungers may be of any desired proportion and intheir lower roost positions leave a considerable space abovethe falsebottom 5 upon Which the ma terial being ashed will be compressed bydownwardly moving plunge-rs; the false bot-l tom 5 yielding under thepressure and autonaticallyreturning to normal position under thereaction of'the springs 8. The cranksof V 9 .16, Shaft areset-in opposedrelation and the plungers therefore actzalternately, first at one. endand then at the other end of the tank.1 1 .a While power may betransmitted to the crank shaft- 13 in anydesired manner, it is hereshovn as provided on one end with a.

s co e ed y c annel strips 0 6 of which ppqilides ifor the connection ofbinge/l1 and the other of which. is shown-as provided with a suitablelatching device 32 to hold he c ver 9 d wn whe e Was ing nie gre -irepes ti T a d 7 7 channels 36 --Inay be readily applied and ea il rem edand; ar adap d to b clamped in place means of set or Wing In this forin,of the ovention'the motor.

1 and shaftQTare mounted directly upon the cover 10 and-operate througha train of a reduction gear driven I er of the tub as at 11 so that V Vthe cover may be tilted upwardly. The top edges of the endpanels of thetub are shown gears to drive the gear 20 and the crank shaft 13, thecranks of which are connected to the connecting rods 15 driving theplungers 18 hich as above described, are guided for vertical movementsby the guide rods 16 and the fixed tubes 17. a From the above it will beseen that When the inventionis organized as a. unit to be applied to theordinary domestic Washing tub, the motor and the associated parts. areall mounted directly upon the cover 10 of the tub, and this latter canbe moved to full open position carrying the plungers out of the ay, allwithout disconnecting or removing any of the organized parts from theirrelative positions. a 1

During the operation of the machine the rec pro ing p unsers 18 ea h ltn t y compress and then release the laundry or the m erial be ng ope a-td up Q tha the ater surges freely to" and frothrough. the material, allof the sediment ihat'is washed. out passing through the perforated ontor mi eus 5 bot om 5, wh c y e on of 7 its rough upper surfacefacilitates in the washing of the clothes or material and prevents the.same from playing in the dirty water in which the sediment iscollectedlbeo he fa b t m whee claim d is; a v a 1. A Washing machineincludinga tuh haying cover, a crank shaft mounted on the cover, fixedguides extending down from the cove? of the tub, plungers arranged belowthe c r a d c ne dte said s aft o mtermittentlysubjecting material onsaid bottorn to compression, and guides connected to h i ne s an op rain in the fix ami es- 2- A Washin ma hi n l d n nk av n a cover, a cranksh t m unt d on he are eh mli y' Qt uid tubes xt n ing down through thecover of the tank,

P ineas ar an ed b e t e se e pit pivotally connected to the plungersbelow the cover and to said shaft for intermittently s j ti at ia en a dom to e r P Q nd u e ds xed to he P ers and operating. in said tubes. 7

In t stimon Wher e I a -"y nd r SAMUE ALD L hereunto set

